A career in the federal workforce might not be the coolest thing to kids. That's one finding from a new survey by the National Treasury Employees Union. It found only 37 percent of parents polled encourage their kids to go into government. Now, NTEU is starting a campaign to change that. President Colleen Kelley joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss the new survey.

Federal News Radio's Causey Awards honor top achievers in federal human resources. It's named after our own Mike Causey, in tribute to his career spent reporting on issues that matter to the federal workforce. This year, judges have selected four winners. One is Mika Cross, the work-life and wellness program manager at the Agriculture Department. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss how she convinced USDA to use telework as a strategic tool. View more about our 2014 Causey Award winners.

With all the bad press the government, and government workers are getting nowadays, do you ever tell people you do something else---like maybe you are a travel agent or undertaker---for a living? If not, you may want to reconsider why not.

The Office of Personnel Management is giving agencies a way to better understand and utilize data gleaned from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) and OPM's Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI).

In examining the viability of the Senior Executive Service, House members called out the Veterans Affairs' compensation program, with a pledge to introduce another piece of legislation to take back bonuses. The Senior Executives Association relayed concerns that talent is fleeing senior executive positions.

The lack of 30-and-under talent in the federal workforce means agencies will be facing significant shortfalls in the future, says Jeff Neal, former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security.

A lot of people are saying that the relentless wave of retirements is a threat to the health of the federal workforce. But there's a problem on the other end of the age spectrum too -- OPM data shows there's been a sharp drop in the number of federal employees under the age of 30 over the last few years. As of last year, those younger workers made up just 8 percent of the workforce. Jeff Neal is senior vice president of ICF International and former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security. He explained the numbers behind the issue on In Depth with Francis Rose.

A specially-formed commission tasked with modernizing military compensation released an interim report in anticipation of its full recommendations due in February. The document reviews massive changes that have occurred since the military switched to an all-volunteer force in 1973.

Agencies' scales tip strongly in the direction of older workers. The percentage of millennials in the federal workforce fell to 7 percent in 2013 — an eight-year low. This compares to about 23 percent in the private sector workforce.

Two letters sent from Capitol Hill in call for the Office of Personnel Management to explain why it's taking so long to release final phased retirement regulations, and demand a revised timeline for action. Phased retirement was passed into law two years ago this week.

A new guide from the Office of Personnel Management lays out the next chapter in the government's efforts to employ veterans. Back in 2009, President Barack Obama told agencies to be model employers of vets. Veterans made up about a quarter of new hires. Today, they are at about 31 percent. Hakeem Basheerud-Deen directs veterans services at OPM. He's also an Air Force vet. He tells Tom and Emily on the Federal Drive that some agencies are doing well at hiring vets.

More than half of senior executives surveyed by the Senior Executives Association are reporting "low" or "very low" morale with their jobs. The problem lies with a pay-for-performance system where some supervisors make less money than the people they lead. Increasing numbers of senior executive service members are ready to leave the federal government altogether.